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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=64b1149114&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Try Gemini 3 Pro</a></span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=c6c1566c58&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Meta agrees to acquire Singapore-based startup Manus, which makes an AI agent it sells to SMBs; Manus said in December its annual revenue run rate was $125M+</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Kurt Wagner / </span><span class="pub_name">Bloomberg</span>)</span>
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<span class="excerpt">Meta Platforms Inc. has agreed to acquire Singapore-based AI startup Manus … </span>
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<a class="tweet_cite" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=e1321293a9&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">@red_xiao_:</a>
<a class="tweet_body" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=9090dec3fb&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">Today marks a moment I'll remember for the rest of my life. When we started Manus, few believed that general AI agents could work. We were told it was too early, too ambitious, too hard. But we kept building. Through the doubts, the setbacks, and the countless nights wondering if we were chasing the impossible. We weren't. This isn't just an acquisition. It's validation that the future we've been building toward is real, and it's arriving faster than anyone expected [...]</a>
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<img class="tweet_image" width="12" src="https://techmeme.com/img/twitter_x.png" style="width: 12px;">
<a class="tweet_cite" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=bef536fffa&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">@sarahtavel:</a>
<a class="tweet_body" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=890da91cb6&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">Will never forget @chetanp hopping on a plane at a drop of a hat to meet this team, and saying clearly after they presented to our partnership: “we just need to be in business with this team.” Huge congratulations to the incredible @ManusAI team on their relentless execution.</a>
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<img class="tweet_image" width="12" src="https://techmeme.com/img/twitter_x.png" style="width: 12px;">
<a class="tweet_cite" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=a924659cb2&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">@chetanp:</a>
<a class="tweet_body" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=ee7f9cb603&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">Manus was acquired by Meta. This remarkable group of people created a product that was the fastest ever to go $0 to $100M ARR and changed how consumers used AI to get things done. It was an extraordinary privilege for me and Benchmark to have invested in this incredible company pre-launch earlier this year and to have been on the board with Red and Pan.</a>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=0f65c1fde6&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Meta says it will continue to operate and sell the Manus service, and Manus' talent will join Meta to deliver agents across Meta products, including Meta AI</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Meta</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=61551c5d15&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">SoftBank agrees to acquire NYSE-listed DigitalBridge, a PE firm that invests in data centers and digital infrastructure operators, for $4B, including debt</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Bloomberg</span>)</span>
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<span class="excerpt">SoftBank Group Corp. agreed to buy private equity firm DigitalBridge Group Inc … </span>
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<a class="tweet_cite" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=23a859f811&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">@mukund:</a>
<a class="tweet_body" href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=32f95d1c25&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: black;">SoftBank doesn't want revenue. $DBRG They want control of AI-critical infrastructure platforms: Data centers Power access Fiber Edge compute DigitalBridge controls or influences Vantage, DataBank, Switch, AtlasEdge — all choke points for AI compute scaling.</a>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 24px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=fd223319de&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">SEC filing: Nvidia acquires Intel shares worth $5B, carrying out a transaction announced in September, buying 214.7M shares for $23.28 each</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Arsheeya Bajwa / </span><span class="pub_name">Reuters</span>)</span>
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<span class="excerpt">Nvidia (NVDA.O) has purchased Intel shares worth $5 billion, the American semiconductor firm … </span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=c1a2ce3996&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Coupang says it is offering $1B+ in compensation to all 33.7M customers affected by South Korea's biggest-ever data breach, after an ex-staffer accessed data</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Shinhye Kang / </span><span class="pub_name">Bloomberg</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=1c98581bea&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">China's central bank unveils an overhaul of its digital yuan framework, including saying that commercial banks will soon begin paying interest on holdings</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Timmy Shen / </span><span class="pub_name">The Block</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=9229a2ab7f&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Samsung and Google partner to bring Google Photos to TizenOS-powered TVs, launching in March 2026 and showing curated memories, ahead of CES 2026</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Rajesh Pandey / </span><span class="pub_name">Android Police</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=73a122f9a8&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">UK-based Octopus Energy reaches a deal to sell about $1B of equity in Kraken Technologies, its tech spin-off, at an $8.65B valuation to a syndicate of investors</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Financial Times</span>)</span>
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artificial intelligence
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=cd4c23bcb2&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">A Kapwing study of the 15,000 top YouTube channels finds 278 of them have only posted AI-generated “slop” videos, amassing 63B+ views and 221M+ subscribers</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Aisha Down / </span><span class="pub_name">The Guardian</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=a40ebacb6f&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">ACCA, the world's largest accounting body, says it is ending remote exams to combat a rise in students cheating by using AI tools when taking tests</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Ellesheva Kissin / </span><span class="pub_name">Financial Times</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=b3a2465b7d&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">A look at the rift in the Democratic party over AI and data centers, as pro-business Democrats oppose the fiery, anti-AI politics of the progressive wing</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Calder McHugh / </span><span class="pub_name">Politico</span>)</span>
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gaming
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=7bdd77a055&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Michal Kicinski, co-founder of CD Projekt and DRM-free digital games store GOG, has acquired 100% of the shares in GOG from CD Projekt</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Vikki Blake / </span><span class="pub_name">Eurogamer.net</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=0855d63ae0&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">How Japan's viral horse racing game Umamusume, developed by Cygames, passed 30M downloads in Asia, spurring anime adaptations, concerts, and new racetrack fans</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Katria Alampay / </span><span class="pub_name">Bloomberg</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=6915a5bb80&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">PitchBook: the biggest US private startups raised $150B in 2025, surpassing the previous high of $92B in 2021, boosted by large funding rounds by AI startups</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">George Hammond / </span><span class="pub_name">Financial Times</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=ceb2304548&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Sources detail how JD Vance, David Sacks, and others brokered a fragile truce between President Trump and Elon Musk, who threatened to fund an America Party</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Washington Post</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=8df58d3e1e&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Zoho CRM Plus in 2025: A year of thoughtful CX improvements</a></span>
<span class="excerpt" style="color: black;font-size: 16px;"> — 2025 marked 11 years of building a customer experience platform designed to support organizations as customer expectations, channels, and operating models continue to evolve … </span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=7b155f3460&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">China's SMIC plans to acquire the remaining 49% stake in its SMNC unit for ~$5.8B, making the unit wholly owned; SMNC focuses on 12" integrated circuit wafers</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Reuters</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=2ba80a3174&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Sources and a memo: the US DOJ is using a novel reading of a federal anti-fraud law to probe contractors, including Google and Verizon, over their DEI programs</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Lydia Wheeler / </span><span class="pub_name">Wall Street Journal</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=230295beb9&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Since the GENIUS Act's passage in July, the total value of stablecoins circulating rose from ~$250B to $300B+, as they become the “respectable” face of crypto</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Joel Khalili / </span><span class="pub_name">Wired</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=53fbfd540b&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">In 2025, Big Tech got almost everything it wanted from President Trump, as he backs policies that let the industry grow unfettered, worrying some conservatives</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Cecilia Kang / </span><span class="pub_name">New York Times</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=92f9808bf5&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">Framework says it is raising DDR5 RAM prices to charge $10 per GB, after a price hike earlier in December due to “substantially higher costs” amid the AI boom</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="author">Emma Roth / </span><span class="pub_name">The Verge</span>)</span>
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<span class="title" style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://techmeme.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=94ccd3ae223561415b05892ab&id=cfd438638f&e=06cea4a9e4" style="text-decoration: none;color: #004860;font-weight: bold;">How diamonds are being converted to quantum sensors by inserting tiny imperfections, opening up potential uses in medicine, brain-computer interfaces, and more</a></span>
<span class="cite" style="color: #888;display: inline-block;white-space: nowrap;">(<span class="pub_name">Financial Times</span>)</span>
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